My kids won’t eat salad (at least not every day), so we’ve had to get creative with veggies to make sure the whole family is eating them. Over the years, I’ve found some great, healthy alternatives to the everyday side salad, and they’re not as hard to prepare as you’d think.

Here are our family’s favorite vegetarian side dishes that are easy to make and deliver a protein boost without adding meat to the meal.

Kelsey Banfield, The Naptime Chef, believes parents don't have to give up being foodies just because they have kids. Kelsey's website features webisodes, recipes and ideas on how to fit delicious food into everyday life, without compromising quality or taste. Kelsey is also the author of the newly published cookbook, The Naptime Chef Fitting Great Food Into Family Life.